From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
A Guest Post by
Staci Greenwald, Esq.
Recently, I received this warning from Staci Greenwald, Esq., an outstanding special education attorney who has a child with special needs. Although the warning focuses on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in New Jersey, it contains a critical message for parents throughout the country: know the rules and regulations that govern special education in your state or territory, put your concerns and requests in writing, and act quickly. Here’s the warning: Read more...
Advocacy, budget cuts, disabilities, dispute, disputes, due process, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, IEP, IEPs, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, mediation, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, Special Education, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
Struggling Writers: How to Improve Their Writing
From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
Very often, writing is taught to struggling writers in very haphazard and unscientific ways. Such instruction produces very little progress and often promotes student beliefs that for them writing is too difficult and will always be a struggle.
Fortunately, however, writing can be taught in systematic and scientifically-supported ways that promote progress and student beliefs that they can succeed. One such systematic and scientifically-supported method is Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). SRSD removes the mystery of how to write. It shows students the steps they need to practice to succeed. Read more...
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From Reading and Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan & Dr. Howard Margolis
Parents of struggling writers worry about their children’s struggle. They want to know, “How can I help my child?”
If your child struggles with writing, this post might help you and your child’s school identify the type of writing instruction your child needs. It will do this by first discussing critical but often ignored areas of diagnosis, then discussing a typical but inadequate diagnostic process that can do more harm than good, and finally suggesting actions you can take. A follow-up post will outline one effective, well-researched method for helping struggling writers improve their writing: Self-Regulated Strategy Development. Read more...
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From Reading and Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan & Dr. Howard Margolis
How to Reduce Anxiety: Yours and Your Child’s—Part II
In late March, we described three ways you can use relaxation strategies to reduce anxiety—yours and your child’s. We described meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and diaphragmatic breathing. And we quoted the research from 1990. Here’s a more recent statistical analysis:
The [literature shows] consistent and significant efficacy of relaxation training in reducing anxiety. (Manzoni et al., 2008, p. 9 of 12) Read more...
anxiety, breathing, children with disabilities, diaphragm breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, IDEA, IEP, imagery, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, meditation, muscle relaxation, Parenting, progressive muscle relaxation, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading problem, reading problems, related service, relaxation, relaxation training, self-efficacy, self-esteem, slow breathing, strengthening resiliency, stress, struggling reader, Struggling Readers, visual imagery
On our website (www.reading2008.com), under Resources, is a mock Individualized Education Program (IEP) that was developed in 2001, before the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA-2004). Thus, it does not reflect IDEA-2004’s endorsement of Response to Intervention (RTI) and its other new provisions.
However, we believe that parents and teachers who examine this IEP for Eli can benefit from it. We suggest you examine (a) the Present Levels of Performance section, which covers all of pages A-2 and A-3, and includes the Evaluation Results and Description of Behavior Needs on page A-3; (b) the direct links between the information in the Present Levels section and the IEP’s goals and objectives, the specificity and measurability of its goals and objectives, and the comprehensiveness of services. Read more...
Advocacy, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, goals and objectives, IEP, Individualized Education Program, intervention, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading intervention, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, reading remediation, remedial reading, remediation, sample IEP, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
Here are 15 guidelines that can strengthen the effectiveness of your advocacy.
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Have your child evaluated by experts who can identify your child’s needs.
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Make sure you understand his needs before you meet with school personnel to discuss his needs and possible interventions.
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Make specific requests (in writing) for meeting his needs; support your requests with reports from well-credentialed experts, experts whom the school respects.
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Treat people with respect, even if you disagree with them, even if they reject your requests. Read more...
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In Part 1 of 2, we discussed five ways to minimize feelings of intimidation. We recommend that you take all or some of these steps well before the IEP meeting: Read more...
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Study the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA-2004), especially the sections that explain the requirements for IEPs and IEP meetings.
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Send the IEP Team any new information you have that identifies your child’s needs.
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Examine your child’s school records.
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Meet with a private expert to review all reports about your child and a copy of his school records.
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Part 1 of 2
Even if the members of your child’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team are extraordinarily kind, caring, and courteous, you might find them intimidating. After all, they know the rules, the language, and the system far better than you. This is their umpteenth IEP meeting, only your second. And even if they simplify their language, you may still find it mysterious, complex, and fast-paced. What’s a WISC-IV and a Woodcock-Johnson? What do they look like? How does memory for digits relate to word identification? What’s the difference between a norm-referenced test and an informal reading inventory? Why is this even important? Read more...
Confidence, Dyslexia, dyslexic, dyslexics, frustration, frustration level, IEP, IEP meeting, IEP meetings, IEPs, Individualized Education Program, Individualized Education Programs, Intimidation, Learning Disabilities, learning disability, Parenting, Reading Disabilities, reading disability, reading levels, Reading Materials, reading problem, reading problems, strengthening resiliency, struggling reader, Struggling Readers
As Wendell Berry said, “Once precision is abandoned as a linguistic or literary virtue, vague generalization is one of the two remaining possibilities, gibberish being the second.” Such language is open to guessing, misunderstanding, and misinterpretation. Look at these examples from a composite of IEPs.
Present Levels. “Juan has trouble with reading. He needs to improve his comprehension.” Ask yourself: How far below grade level is he reading? In addition to comprehension problems, does he have trouble with sight vocabulary, decoding, and fluency? Does he have trouble with listening vocabulary and listening comprehension? Without this information, teachers (and parents) don’t know what to teach him, how to measure his progress, and, because his instructional levels are not listed, at what levels to start instruction.
Read more...
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From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities
A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis
If your child is eligible for special education, perhaps. One key to getting help is to show the school that his social and emotional problems are impeding his learning or that of his peers. Another is to show that they’re blocking him from achieving a primary goal of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA): “To ensure that all children with disabilities have [an] education that [meets] … their unique needs and prepare[s] them for further education, employment, and independent living” (34 CFR § 300.1). A third is to show that involvement in a social and emotional learning (SEL) program is critical for him to achieve his academic goals. Read more...
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